UK women spend £460m online each week

Women in Britain spent a staggering £460 million on average every week shopping online throughout 2014, according to new figures released by online courier Fastlane International.

That amount accounts for 64 per cent of the UK’s £718.7 million a week total online spend. Women even spend more on some items usually considered male orientated, such as video games – something Fastlane International advises web retailers consider when developing new websites, wedelivertheworld.co.uk reports.

Clothing was found to be the most popular item purchased online by women, news.parcel2go.com notes, while computers and sports equipment were the only items on which men spend more.

“Today’s ‘new man’ doesn’t seem to have evolved as much as he might think,” says Fastlane International Head of Public Relations David Jinks. “It’s still left to women to buy all the presents for friends and family. Women buy on behalf of their husbands, their partners, their kids, and even sometimes their work colleagues. Small wonder they are turning to the web to save a lot of legwork.”

The report showed only 19 per cent of women and 27 per cent of men have never purchased an item of clothing online. Moreover, women are more likely to research a product online, even if they go to a shop to make the purchase.